Environmental groups pushing for tougher regulations like a more stringent Clean Water Act may have the help of a friendly White House for the next four years. The water industry is very heavily driven by government policy -- perhaps more so than in many other sectors -- since water is a common resource shared among many parties whose interests are not always well-aligned. At the moment, a lot of emphasis is being placed on the use of infrastructure spending as a way to stimulate the economy. These factors are likely to come together to make the water and wastewater industry an unusually active one for the foreseeable future.